Braun

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The spirit of an era is reflected by its architecture. The worldwide turbulences of the past years have led to a correspondingly unparalleled diversity of buildings. This compendium presents an international exhibition of contemporary architecture against a backdrop of global trends, local traditions, functional demands, economical constraints and individual styles.
The selection includes stunning designs from the most sought-after architects and talented up-and-coming companies, demonstrating new interpretations of forms to suit anticipated future demands. The Atlas of World Architecture sets a benchmark for buildings of all typologies from the past five years that have earned their place in architectural history.

Although convention centers are in high demand, the competition is tough, and new concepts are constantly in demand. Convention centers come in a range of forms, shapes, sizes and contexts. They can form part of a hotel, an airport, a skyscraper, a mountain-chalet or stand completely on their own. This wide range allows for an exciting variety of stunning architectural and design possibilities that in combination with state-of-the-art technology make a convention center a successful enterprise.The criterion for the project selection for this volume is to cover the entire spectrum and provide a well-founded overview of the current trends. The buildings selected are by acknowledged specialists for convention centers as well as architects, who approach the attractive planning task from different and unbiased perspectives.

Architecture for rescue services has come a long way in the past decade. Buildings for the police, fire brigades and ambulance stations have lost their often primitive and shed-like appearance and have begun to strive for recognition as an equitable architectural typology since Zaha Hadid s trailblazing Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein. This certainly is a challenge because there are numerous conditions to be taken into account in terms of functionality and especially security. The examples chosen for this title show an amazing diversity of emergency architecture. The buildings presented frequently house more than one institution, using the latest technology and communication techniques to successfully combine functions under one roof. The projects included range from the rural two-bay ambulance depot to the police headquarters and the airport fire department.

Affordable building lots in central locations in the large cities and metropolises are rare. When there are no available gaps in the urban structure, attic conversions and extensions are an interesting and favored form of redensification. This volume explores approximately 60 attic projects, as extensions, conversions, or new construction, which utilize the previously used storage space for new use. Existing buildings are expanded upwards and adapted to the contemporary desires and demands of their use. Some constitute a homogenous extension of the existing facade and augment the view in a barely noticeable way. Others use the design freedom above the eave height in order to create a 21st century architecture which contrasts with the historical building substance.

Like in the past the towers of the cathedrals, sky scrapers became the defining features of cityscapes with the advent of the 20th century. Since the turn of the millennium they are again among the most prestigious and coveted architectural challenges. The design freedom of contours and the plastic volume of blobs have long since superseded the purely orthogonal towers of the past.
Most current projects are being implemented in the Arab-Asian realm, such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world's highest building. At the same time, in the USA, the native home of skyscrapers, new towers are also under construction – and also in Europe buildings are reaching for the sky. In addition to the key projects of this remarkable skyscraper renaissance, this volume presents the most spectacular towers still under construction as well as future-oriented experimental designs.

Airports today are much more than gateways to cities, countries or continents. They have developed into city-like complexes and multifunctional systems, which while being set up to serve the needs of smoothly running air traffic, at the same time have taken on all the functions of a normal community: sleeping, shopping, work and leisure time and all that increasingly with 24-7 access. After an era of purely functional architecture, the nodal points of air traffic have become one of the most prominent architectural tasks of the present. Drawing on 60 examples, this volume shows the exciting multiplicity of contemporary airport construction and design. The projects presented in this volume include the newest large scale airports, as well as long term building projects, smaller airports at more remote locations as well as expansions and individual new functional areas like air traffic control centers, hangars or lounges.

What makes a classic piece of furniture? Which living design is timelessly popular and always contemporary – and why?
Aesthetic quality as a function of clarity of design, rigorous color and styling are just as important as the durability of high quality materials and perfect workmanship. And of course, if not more important, is the functionality of this furniture that is right from every standpoint. Masters & their Pieces – best of furniture design presents the milestones of style of furnishings and their creators: the bold design of the 1920’s, the upswing of the economic miracle in the 1950’s, the colorful trendy creations from the 1970’s or the restrained designs of the new classics of today and beyond. The most important furniture designers of the 20th and 21st centuries and their most significant works are prominently displayed.

Country houses are becoming more popular as the urban stress rises around the globe living in the countryside means giving a piece of peace back and connecting back to nature. The rural retreats offer a refuge in nature from the hustle and bustle of daily urban life. The natural settings offer challenges and opportunities at the same time. Whether high mountains, canyons, or cliffy coasts, this volume showcases 60 of the best of contemporary countryhouses designs worldwide, featuring the work of well-known architects and innovative designers who pay their respect to nature through sustainable construction methods and an esthetic style that appreciates and highlights the beauty and uniqueness of each landscape.

Human beings have always entertained a special fascination for the element of water. It is deep and inscrutable, while at the same time the sight of it is calming and energizing. The architectural design with water offers many opportunities and is not just limited to gardens and the outdoors. Especially in the urban context, pools, waterfalls and trick fountains are oases of calm and provide a creative impulse for urban planning. 50 current examples are displayed in this volume with texts, illustrations and plans.

The greening of facades with plants gives a piece of nature back to the city. But a green facade is much more than a charming view: Thanks to its insulating effect, it evens out extreme swings in temperature, protects against UV radiation and improves sound insulation. In that regard one does not have to always rely on the usual ivy. Other evergreen or fruit bearing plants and even exotic flowers can be used as faade decoration. In that way varied and creative greening can be created which lend a colorful aesthetic tone to the cityscape. The 50 projects presented here give an overview of this current trend in landscape architecture.

The automobile has shaped the appearance of our streets for 100 years now. At the same building types have been created to serve it. Parking garages and gas stations as new species of architecture and showrooms whose exhibition spaces and display windows are markedly different from the usual businesses have decisively changed the cities. This book is dedicated to this type of architecture, showing esthetic and technical solutions of the past few years. Not a few architects have been unmistakable ?car freaks? (Frank Lloyd Wright), or been occupied with the automobile (Le Corbusier: Maison Citrohan), or have actually designed cars (Walter Gropius for Adler). This fascination of the profession can also be seen in the architecture built for the automobile today.

Architecture and water, solid and fluid enter into an exciting symbiosis in Swim! Best of Pool Design. In 52 projects prominent architects and innovative newcomers from around the world set the stage for the source of life.
The designs range from Olympic swimming sites to refreshing ideas for public pools, to the individual solutions for private pools, inside and out. From Singapore to Milan and Berlin to Buenos Aires, this title is an invitation to take a plunge in the spectacular worlds of water.

Street furniture is the secret star of urban outdoor design. Though rarely noticed at first glance, it significantly contributes towards the urban experience. Benches, fountains, street lamps, rubbish bins, post boxes, tourist information signs, bus stops as well as public toilets are items that reoccur in various urban spaces. Just like outstanding monuments and landmarks, they determine the identity of a square, street or town. This volume introduces 100 exceptional examples of contemporary street furniture, presenting both items that are one-of-a-kind as well as objects that are part of a product series.

What is needed to create a how and how much it cost to do this with style? This book offers answers to this question in the form of some 70 projects from around the world. Extraordinary residential structures are created with unconventional building techniques and forms, which in comparison with the customary building practices of the same scale suit a limited budget. The spectrum ranges from starter and minimal homes to vacation homes, including also tree houses as well as residence made on re-used containers.
According to the saying, „Necessity is the mother of invention“ an astonishing multitude of ideas has produced tasteful, economical buildings, which would cause some luxury homes to shed their paint from envy. In addition to extraordinary houses, this volume also offers a convincing original quotation of the individual projects: all prices were calculated in the Big-Mac-Index in order to give the reader an international basis of comparison.

For too long, kindergarten architects have been seemingly preoccupied with the principles of durability, maximisation of space, and minimisation of cost. This, however, also meant forgetting that these environments should promote fun, learning and creativity. However, the field has been experiencing a revolution and this volume showcases 60 of the most outstanding recent innovations worldwide. The chosen projects prove especially that collaboration between educationalists and designers can be uniquely fruitful for the planning and building of kindergartens.